I am fleshing out (pun intended?) a new Bard Archetype for an upcoming campaign that is already leaning pretty far dark, though not evil. After reading quite a bit about whips and trips, I put together the following as a start:
Bard Archetype: Dominatrix
Begins with Weapon Focus: Whip
Refluff Bardic Knowledge as Clientele Gossip
Loses Countersong Bardic Performance
Replaces Countersong with Harsh Words (refluff of the ability Wordstrike from the Sonic Striker Bard Archetype):
Wordstrike (Su): The sound striker bard can spend 1 round of bardic performance as a standard action to direct a burst of sonically charged words at a creature or object. This performance deals 1d4 points of damage plus the bard's level to an object, or half this damage to a living creature.
Keeps Inspire Courage but change name to Safeword for flavor.
Keeps Fascinate as is.
Replace Distraction with?
The Arcane Duelist Bard and Daredevil Bard lose Versatile Performance in exchange for a series of feats at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th and 18th levels. So Dominatrix loses Versatile Performance in exchange for Whip It!--At 2nd level, gain Whip Mastery and Dazzling Display. At 6th level gain Improved Whip Mastery. At 10th level gain Greater Whip Mastery. At 14th level gain ability similar to Gypsy Archetype's Gypsy Prank--Add any perform skill to CMB and CMD for combat maneuvers with whip. At 18th level gain ability to use a whip for all combat maneuvers against any creature even if it would normally be immune.
Replace Well Versed with Fear Connoisseur--Dominatrix is able to stack fear effects from different events to demoralize creatures from shaken to frightened to panicked (e.g., Enforcer, Dazzling Display, Blistering Invective, Cornugon Smash, Dirge of Doom) but cannot achieve more than Frightened at Level 2 (upgrades to Panicked at Level 6?)
Lore Master?
Suggestion-maybe use Weird Words with a more flavorful name, per sound striker archetype.
Dirge of Doom?
Inspire Greatness?
Jack of All Trades?
Soothing Performance?
Frightening Tune?
Still very much a work in progress, but wanted to get some thoughts on what I have so far--too much? I am trying to address the complaints I read with Trip builds at higher levels (can't use trip on lots of high level enemies, CMD outpaces CMB, etc.) without completely unbalancing the game.
Any thoughts?
Get thee to the "Suggestions/House Rules/Homebrew" forum! (As this discussion of homebrew rules and that sort of thing is that forum's purpose)
Here ya go this should provide a good baseline.
or start with the geisha?
Ruyan.